Various devices have been developed to permit sound recording or filming on production sets or sound stages used for television and feature film production. On a typical production set, sound and image recording equipment such as "sound booms" or cameras are mounted on catwalks supported by scaffolding hangers suspended from chains attached to the ceiling of the sound stage building. The scaffolding hangers typically include a pair of upright supports, one at the front of the hanger and one at the rear. Horizontal cross members are fixedly attached at the top and bottom of the upright supports. Planking is affixed to the lower horizontal cross members to provide the catwalk surface.
Recording equipment is typically affixed to the catwalk surface with swivel mountings and a number of recording devices are typically needed to insure coverage from all vantage points on the catwalks. Systems have been developed for mounting recording equipment on wheeled "trucks" that can travel along a track mounted to the catwalks. Using these systems, less recording equipment is required as the equipment may be moved along the track to provide recording coverage at varying locations. However, the recording equipment used tends to be large, particularly the sound booms. It is desirable that the equipment be placed as far forward on the catwalks (closest to the set) as possible. Using the prior art scaffolding hangers causes a problem when used in conjunction with track-mounted recording systems, as the track must be mounted behind the front upright support. These front upright supports cause a problem because the recording equipment is unable to slide easily past the uprights on the track without considerable adjustments. As a consequence, multiple sets of recording equipment are required, i.e., one set for every pair of scaffolding supports. As this equipment is very expensive to use and maintain, such a requirement greatly increases production costs.
Some of the prior art inventions developed to allow positioning of recording equipment at a production set include the following: U.S. Pat. No. 5,757,943 issued to Arledge, Jr. is directed to a movable microphone boom mounting device for mounting on a catwalk located above a stage. The boom is mounted to a rolling carriage that moves along a track attached to the catwalk. The boom's movement is limited by the uprights of the scaffolding supports to which the catwalk is attached.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,819 issued to Brown, is a cable suspension system for supporting and conveying equipment such as a camera for use within a defined space. This system does not permit hands-on control of the suspended recording equipment. U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,755, issued to Jonischkeit et al. is directed to a traveling carriage movable on a guide rod for positioning a spotlight in film recording studios. U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,932, issued to Chapman, is directed to a camera crane for use in motion picture and television productions. The crane has a mast on a wheeled chassis that has a supporting base providing for minimum interference with the boom it supports. U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,078 issued to Radek is directed to a metal skeletal tandem frame construction that has an intermediate upright that provides unencumbered access. The end supports, however, would interfere with any recording equipment movably supported by the structure. U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,999, issued to Nealeigh, is a scaffold extension and enclosure system that includes a cantilevered platform supported by a series of angular brackets. This system must be braced against a structure and/or the roof of the structure for support.
While other variations exist, the above-described designs for systems to support recording equipment over a production set are typical of those encountered in the prior art. It is an objective of the present invention to provide a system of scaffolding support that allows for the use of track-mounted recording equipment without interference from scaffolding support uprights, so as to minimize the amount of such equipment required. It is a further objective to provide a scaffolding support system that includes means for securing catwalks to the scaffolding supports. It is a still further objective of the invention to provide the above-described capabilities in using scaffolding supports that are lightweight, durable and inexpensive to produce. It is yet a further objective to provide scaffolding supports that will work easily within existing scaffolding suspension systems and that will accommodate standardized catwalks and recording equipment.
While some of the objectives of the present invention are disclosed in the prior art, none of the inventions found include all of the requirements identified.